PITTSBURGH -- Jerald Hawkins has heard that his hips are too narrow and his whole body is too small and that that makes him less qualified for his job as an offensive tackle in the NFL.

He is more slight than many tackles. But the Pittsburgh Steelers' fourth-round draft pick, a junior out of LSU, is just one player in what Mike Tomlin said is an evolutionary reaction in the league.

"The shape and the size of that animal often times reflects the shape and size of the animals that they block," Tomlin said. "Roughly half the league now is 3-4 as opposed to 4-3, so many of those guys coming off the edge are of the smaller variety, maybe than it used to be when the league was dominated by 4-3.

"So the size of the tackle probably reflects that. It's just the nature of the fight. The law of nature, if you will."

Hawkins isn't bothered by the labels, however true they are. His comparable lack of size does change the angles at which he blocks, but if he keeps his feet moving and his hands high, he's fine. His older teammates - Marcus Gilbert, Ramon Foster and Chris Hubbard - remind him as much when he messes up on the practice field.

It's part of why general manager Kevin Colbert likes having rookies for what he calls their senior year. The NFL Draft advisory board told Hawkins to stay in school, but he left college for the same reason he said he's adapting well with the Steelers. He thinks he's really mature.

"He's adjusting quickly, he's learning. He's a pretty good learner, he's adjusting his technique," offensive line coach Mike Munchak said. "There's a lot of things that we throw at him. He's done a great job of adjusting so far as a rook."

Much of that transition has been tested on the field, even in shorts at organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamp, matching up with players like Bud Dupree and Stephon Tuitt -- "he's fast as hell," Hawkins said.

But more still is tried between sessions. Hawkins' veteran teammates remind him of what he could get away with in college and can't in the NFL. As much as that's slower feet and lower hands, it also means Hawkins has to dunk himself into more cold tubs and bury his head in more playbook.

When he does hit the cold tub, he said he feels the difference in practice the next day.

And when he's returned to his room at the Southside SpringHill Suites, he either sees his roommate, Demarcus Ayers studying and begins doing so himself, Ayers said, or the other way around.

Hawkins was drafted to fling around the world's best edge rushers. Ayers, a seventh-round pick, was selected to return punts. Hawkins laughs about how much smaller Ayers is. Yet Ayers gives Hawkins an advantage going into every day of practice.

Offensive linemen don't get the script of plays until the day of each session. Receivers do, though, and Ayers shows his copy to Hawkins each night, allowing the offensive tackle to focus his playbook study on what he'll have to do on a given tomorrow.

"I know he's trying to play," Ayers said. "It's just been cool to be in the same room with him knowing that he's studying and working hard as I am, and not only in the building."

Across the back wall of the Steelers' locker room from Hawkins sits Ryan Harris, a third-round pick who, 10 years and a Super Bowl title into his career, said he was drafted too low because people thought he was too tiny.

Once pads get put on, though, measurables quickly fade into irrelevance, Harris said. Initially, smaller tackles can be underestimated, but perceptions get turned on their heads. Then playing becomes a matter of dealing with opponents seeing that the tackle isn't as big, knowing it doesn't matter and preparing especially for him.

His outlook on the game isn't much different from Hawkins' or how he justifies his being in the Steelers' locker room.

"A lot in the NFL is just about applying the player you are to a higher level and a higher standard," Harris said. "And if you can do that, you'll be successful."

Said Hawkins: "As long as I handle my job, handle my business that's all that really matters."